Rates of rough sleeping in England have increased for a third year in a row, with 4,667 people sleeping rough in the streets of England last autumn. The rate for rough sleeping was 8.1 people per 100,000 in 2024, compared to a lower rate of 6.8 the year before.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has published new data for the ‘Rough sleeping snapshot in England’, referring to autumn 2024. Whilst currently lower than the peak in homelessness rates registered in 2017, the data shows an upward trend in both the numbers and rates of sleeping rough across the country.
The majority of people in this situation are male, aged over 26 years of age and from the UK. On a regional level, 45% of all people sleeping rough on a single night last autumn were in London and in the South East. Whilst the West Midlands saw lower numbers, they registered a 35% jump in rates recorded on a single night last year.
In 2024, Westminster registered the highest number of people sleeping rough that year (388), followed by Camden (132). In December, the City of London saw a stark rate in the number of people sleeping rough over the month per 100,000, with 1017.7 people. This was lower than that registered in the month before, but higher than the year prior. Westminster followed with a considerably lower number of 297.9. Additionally, it was these two local authorities that also saw higher rates of homelessness on a single night, with 364 and 173 people sleeping rough in the areas, respectively.
Whilst rates are extremely high in a handful of predominately urban areas across the country, 31 local authorities saw a rate of 0 out of 100,000 people sleeping rough on a single night in December 2024, this includes Dover, Melton, and South Derbyshire. 12 other authorities registered no people sleeping rough in the entire year of 2024, including Derbyshire Dales, East Hampshire, and Chorley. The data suggests a clear divide between rural and urban areas of England.
Geodata context
As the new data published yesterday shows soaring rates of people sleeping rough across the country, the Minister of Homelessness has commented on the topic.
Rushnara Ali, parliamentary under-secretary of state for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping: “Today’s statistics lay bare the devastating impact of the acute and entrenched housing crisis we have inherited – rough sleeping soaring, a record number of children growing up in temporary accommodation, and a broken housing system”.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter: “It is unacceptable that homelessness continues to rocket when the government has the power to end it entirely.”
“Homelessness has a simple solution – a safe, secure social rent home gives everyone the chance to succeed, but there’s nowhere near enough. If the government is serious about tackling the housing emergency, we must see ambitious investment in social housing in June’s Spending Review. Investing in 90,000 social rent homes a year for ten years would give families a fighting chance and end homelessness for good.”
Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis: “The seriousness of England’s homelessness crisis is captured by today’s statistics. They paint a desperate picture, with thousands of people destitute and sleeping on our streets, at significant risk of violence, extreme weather and even premature death.”
“It’s an emergency and it must spur action. The Westminster Government has a once in a generation opportunity to deliver transformative change through its upcoming strategy to end homelessness. The scale of their ambition needs to match the gravity of the situation. Ministers must commit to building the social homes we need at scale, investing in housing benefit and funding the right support to prevent homelessness before it happens. Brick by brick, we can build a stronger society where everyone has the foundation of a safe home.”
About the map
The map below shows the number of people sleeping rough by year and rates of homelessness over the month and on a night for December 2023 and December 2024. To explore detailed figures for your area, double-click on the map or click here to view the full-page version.